Category: How to Write a CV

Just had a CV in for review and it had the following as an opening Key Skill: EXELENT COMUNICATION SKILLS Why didn’t they spot this!! It’s simple. Firstly they haven’t properly read their own CV and secondly it’s in UPPER CASE. Why does this matter? Because Word doesn’t look for spelling mistakes when words are in upper case and we’re all so reliant on spell checkers that we’ve become lazy with our…

We’ve noticed a growing trend for CVs in what we refer to as a magazine format. Basically the CV is written like a page from a magazine with small snippets of information dotted around the page with different fonts and different colour backgrounds – much like you might see in Hello! or OK! magazine. These CVs look great but they are a major mistake. Magazine pages are laid out that…

There are many CV templates and free examples available that look good, but you need a combination of both style and substance for a really professional Curriculum Vitae. A template is good for getting the look and layout of a CV correct but that’s about as far as it goes. An employer or recruiter needs to be able to quickly read a CV and ascertain if you’re worth interviewing. Whilst a template…

Employers look for positive language in a CV. Sounds obvious but the number of CVs we see that use weak language is incredible. What do we mean by “Positive Language”? Perhaps the most common example is when applicants say in their profile “I consider myself to be a hard working person” or “I can consider myself to be a reliable employee”. This is weak language for a CV. It’s much…

You don’t need to put your age on a CV and recruiters and employers are not allowed to directly ask you how old you are. It would be naive to think that your age doesn’t make a difference as many recruiters are under 30 and to them anyone over the age of 50 is not a good candidate. But how do you avoid showing your age? 1. Don’t put your date of…